The owner of an arts and crafts shop in Chesham has thanked her customers for ‘all their support’ after she closed her store for the final time.

Hazel Hopkinson, 56, announced earlier this summer that her much-loved ‘Blue Haze’ arts and crafts shop in the town would cease trading due to the lack of footfall, the rising costs, tax, along with several issues surrounding Brexit and the recent coronavirus pandemic.

The latter led to many stores closing between 2020 and 2021.

The store’s last day in business was on Saturday, August 31, with the owner admitting there were ‘watery eyes’ during the course of her last shift.

She was greeted by numerous customers who gave the entrepreneur flowers, cards and chocolates as a thank you for her service to the community.

During her brief chat with the Free Press within the last 90 minutes of the business’ existence, she said: “I’m trying not to think about 5pm, as I’ll get emotional.

“It has been very busy which has been great, and it’s been lovely to see so many faces come through.

“I’ve been feeling the love!

“We’ve been given lots of flowers, chocolates, cards and biscuits which I’m grateful for, but I’m also grateful for their custom too.”

The business woman also revealed that one of the most integral people in the shop’s formation also returned to the store on its final day.

A gesture that Mrs Hopkinson was very grateful for.

She continued: “We’ve had a lot of our regulars come in and say their thanks and goodbyes, and someone who was instrumental in the shop opening came in.

“They’ve been a good customer to us, and that was a lovely moment.”

The inspiration for the shop began after Hazel was made redundant from her role as a project manager for a software company in the early 2000s.

In July 2004, she was inspired by her husband to start the shop after he made a ‘throwaway comment’ about launching her own business.

The store was officially launched in April 2005, and despite plans to try and make it to the 20-year mark, it wasn’t sustainable to do so, as the businesswoman claimed in recent months she had felt she was ‘working for the VAT man and those at HMRC’, rather than helping customers’.

An emotional Mrs Hopkinson concluded: “I can’t thank everyone enough.

“There have been a few watery-eye moments.”

Finally, despite being 56, the entrepreneur plans to ‘detox, retire and do voluntary work’ in the near future, but if a small job comes her way, she ‘might consider taking something up’.